Heated Battles, Chapter 57
"I'm sorry, but the lift to Mt Chimney is currently under maintenance. We apologize for any inconvenience, and hope you return soon." The woman repeated, verbatim, for the third time. By this point, I had given up.
"Okay, fine. I'll be back later, then." I walked out of the small building, looking back for only a second.
I was at the foot of Mt Chimney, which was accessible from Route 112. Very little happened of interest during my pleasant, soot-free stroll through Route 111. Normally, trainers could take a chairlift up to the summit of the mountain, to not only see all of Hoenn from up there, but catch rare fire type Pokemon as well. However, as you just heard, the lift was 'under maintenance'. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I felt that was somehow a lie or coverup.
Vulpix barked at me once we were outside, begging for me to pitch tent for the night. The sun was pretty much set by this point, so I didn't blame her for wanting to rest for the day. According to the Pokenav, it was only a short ways to Lavaridge Town from the chairlift, so I decided to push for just a little bit more. I'd rather sleep at the Pokemon Center in town than camp out again. And I certainly didn't want to sleep in the chairlift building with that creepy woman there. She probably wouldn't let me, either.
"Don't worry, Vulpix, you don't have to walk anymore today," I said, as I started assembling my bike. "We'll ride the rest of the way."
This ended up being a big mistake. The road to Lavaridge was actually pretty rough, and in the dimming daylight, I could hardly make out half the rocks in the ground. It was a bumpy ride, certainly not the first I had experienced on my adventures, but it would be the end of my poor bike. In a moment when I checked to see if Vulpix was doing okay in the basket, I crashed straight into a rock, which hurled us both forward. Luckily, we didn't land on any rocks ourselves, but the bike was another story. The rock had not only punctured the wheel, but completely trashed the spokes. Without some serious work, she was a lost cause.
Needless to say, I let slip quite a few words that would've normally gotten my mouth washed out with soap back home. Still, what was done was done, so I picked up the pieces of the bike, folded it up as best I could, and dragged the rest of it into town. Most of the houses, what few there were, had already gone dark for the night. The Pokemon Center was also dark, but no Nurse Joy would ever turn away a Pokemon or their trainer in the dead of night.
"Welcome to the Pokemon Center," Nurse Joy said automatically upon our entry from her desk. "You're sure out late tonight!"
"Yeah, we were in a bit of an accident just now," I said, dropping my broken bike by the entrance. "Is it okay if we stay here tonight?"
"Of course! Are either of you hurt? Was it the rocks on the road just outside town?" I was suddenly a bit happier, knowing I wasn't the first to fall prey to those fiendish rocks.
"Yeah, I didn't see them in the dark, and crashed into one. We're fine, but my bike was broken."
"Well, that's a relief! All the same, if you don't mind, I'd like to make sure you weren't hurt before you go to sleep." Nurse Joy came around the front desk, hospital bed and cart already prepped. I was going to refuse, as I was eager to just get to sleep, but I had a feeling she wouldn't take no for an answer. Once I was aboard, Vulpix jumped in next to me, and Nurse Joy wheeled us into the emergency room.
~o~
"Good morning, Star! You sleep well?"
"Great! I'm sorry I fell asleep last night," I said, finding it a bit hard to remember what had happened. Once we were inside the emergency room, Nurse Joy went right to work checking me for any scrapes or bruises, and in the course of the examination I guess I just dozed off. Vulpix, too, fell asleep almost the minute she got into bed.
"Don't worry about it, I could tell you were exhausted. Long day?"
"You have no idea," I responded, trying to put that soot collection behind me. "Can you tell me anything about the town's gym leader? I'd like to challenge him."
"Her, actually. We recently had a new gym leader appointed, and I'm pretty sure you'll be the first trainer to face her."
A brand new gym leader, I thought to myself. Since the gym was in a town famous for hot springs, I could safely guess it'd be a fire specialty gym. My mind wandered back to Cinnabar Island, when I faced Blaine, and the amazingly anticlimactic win. Then again, a win was a win, and it certainly wasn't my easiest badge ever. That honor belonged to the Cerulean City gym, the battle against Deneb aside.
Once I had a bite to eat, I started out for the gym, but became sidetracked a bit when I passed a small shop next to one of the many hot springs in town. There were a few strange herbs and plants in the window, so I went inside to get a better look around. The store was certainly quaint, with all manner of trinkets and herbs dangling from the ceiling and along the walls. It was almost like a greenhouse on the inside with the amount of plant life. It also had a very powerful smell, something that seemed to bother Vulpix more than myself.
"Welcome to the Herb Shop, dear. Can I help you find anything?" An old woman was tending shop, which didn't surprise me one bit. All these herbs looked to be the kind of medicines used long before potions were sold.
"I'm just looking around," I said, poking away at the various loose leaves and branches I saw on the shelves. Vulpix continued to scoff at everything in the store, scratching at my leg. She desperately wanted to get out of the store, so I figured we could go right away. The prices weren't exactly friendly to begin with.
"Are you sure I cannot interest you in anything?" The woman appeared suddenly behind us, which startled me as much as Vulpix.
"I'm sorry, but I've never shopped for herbs or plants before. What are they for?" I instantly regretted asking that question, but I didn't want to seem ungrateful. You know what they say, once you make eye contact with the seller, it's almost wrong to leave without buying anything. And I looked right into the eyes of the old lady running the place.
"Well, herbs, roots and powders here are all used for keeping your Pokemon energized and combat ready. The little critters might not like the medicine, but like humans, few do. Take this root, for example," she said, handing me a rather hideous brown piece of plant. "The taste is especially foul, but it has the potency to effectively triple a Pokemon's combat output if consumed at the right moment."
"Oh really? Well, that sounds like a useful item," I said, reaching for my purse. "How much would that cost me?"
"Only ¥800, dear. How many will you be taking today?" My eyes widened a bit at the mention of the price.
"Um, just one, thanks." I produced the exact amount and handed it to the old lady. She wrapped the root up in a tissue and handed it to me.
"Thank you, dear, and I hope you visit again soon." I gave the lady a smile and made for the door at a brisk pace.
The warm air of the hot springs outside was a far better experience than being inside that shop. Vulpix was literally jumping for joy at being able to breathe free air again, and I couldn't blame her. I looked down at the root in my hand, my costly ticket for wanting to explore that shop. Still, I couldn't be too sour about it all. She did claim the root would make a Pokemon fight better, so I could save it for an emergency battle in the future.
~o~
Lavaridge's gym was situated in a corner of town, elevated slightly above the ground. Once I was inside, this design choice was immediately apparent. The gym was built like a steam room, with a hot spring directly underneath the floorboards providing the heat. I was a child of a southern region, so I was used to some measure of heat, though it wasn't exactly my favorite kind of weather. Vulpix, on the other hand, was again jumping around at full power. This gym was built for Pokemon like her, and it cemented the idea that the leader here would be using fire types.
I took my spot in the challenger's box, and looked ahead to spot the leader. She was there, sitting down on her side of the arena, just out of sight and being obstructed by the steam. Unsure if she had seen me come in, I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled out to her.
"Hello? My name is Star and I've come to challenge you for a badge!" I heard some scrambling about on the other end of the arena, then a switch being flipped. Within seconds, the heavy amounts of steam started to thin out, and the gym was cooling down rather fast. Once the steam had all but vanished, I got my first look at the leader.
"Welcome, puny trainer! I am Flannery, the gym leader! So you wish to challenge me for a Heatbadge?" Her voice sounded too deep, as if she were going for an intimidating effect. She was also failing terribly at it.
"Yeah, I already said I wanted to," I replied. From afar, I could tell my response threw her off balance ever so slightly.
"Oh, uhh... yes, right! So, prepare to be beaten back to your home town by my fiery moves!" Flannery released her first Pokemon, a small red Pokemon seemingly made of lava. My first instinct was to get my Pokedex, but then something came to mind.
"Um, Flannery? What are the rules for this battle?" Again, my question left her shocked.
"Oh! Oh, well, we get to use three Pokemon. Whoever knocks out the other's Pokemon first wins, naturally. I mean- three Pokemon each! Do you accept these conditions?"
"Yes," I said flatly. "You already released your first Pokemon, so the battle already started."
"Then choose your Pokemon already!" Ignoring her sudden switch to a high pitch, I grabbed my Pokedex and scanned the critter she had released.
"Slugma, the Lava Pokemon. Molten magma courses throughout Slugma's circulatory system. If this Pokemon is chilled, the magma cools and hardens. Its body turns brittle and chunks fall off, reducing its size." I smiled a bit to myself upon hearing this, and reached for Vaporeon's Pokeball. Upon releasing him, Flannery began the assault.
"Slugma, Light Screen!"
"Vaporeon, Bubblebeam!"
Right off the bat, a curtain of light flashed around Slugma, which would come to throw off my entire battle plan. Vaporeon released the blast of bubbles, and although a few managed to strike Slugma, most were repelled by the Light Screen, sending them towards the walls of the gym. Luckily, those few bubbles that did strike severely damaged Slugma, who was already starting to turn black all over. This battle was certainly much easier than I originally anticipated.
"Slugma, Overheat!"
"Vaporeon, get in close for a Water Gun!"
Vaporeon jumped into an instant sprint towards Slugma, who remained perfectly still. From afar, I could see Slugma's body returning to its original color and heat as it stored up energy for its next attack. It didn't hit me until right as Vaporeon and Slugma were practically face to face. As Vaporeon unleashed his Water Gun attack on the fiery critter, Slugma blasted Vaporeon with a massive cloud of fire and heat.
Vulpix started barking, calling out to Vaporeon to see if he made it out okay. Once the cloud of smoke dissipated, Vaporeon remained standing, though badly burned and tired. Slugma, on the other hand, was pitch black, and started to break up into pieces. Before he completely vanished, Flannery returned him to his Pokeball.
"Nicely played, Star! But Slugma was only my first Pokemon!" She yelled out at the top of her lungs, keeping in character the entire time.
"I know that," I called back. She scoffed at me, and released her next critter, a little yellow Pokemon that was downright adorable. Vaporeon was not in any condition to fight, so I called him back and let him take a good rest. Meanwhile, I scanned the new opponent to get a better idea of what to expect.
"Numel, the Numb Pokemon. Numel stores magma of almost 2,200 degrees F within its body. If it gets wet, the magma cools and hardens. In that event, the Pokemon's body grows heavy and its movements become sluggish." It was as if she was making it easy for me. However, to save myself a last Pokemon scare, I went with someone other than Wingull to fight this critter: Poochyena.
"Numel, use Focus Energy!"
"Poochyena, Bite!"
My dark colored dog launched himself forward, fangs ready to dig into Numel's seemingly soft exterior. Numel didn't move, though, taking in as much energy as it could before Poochyena interrupted, biting hard into the Pokemon's neck. In fact, the bite was so deep, Numel cried out in agony, and I caught a glimpse of the Pokemon's blood from my end of the arena.
"Numel! Are you okay?" Flannery had seen it also, and was about to make the same mistake I once made: going out into the arena in the middle of the battle. Fortunately, she caught herself in time, and held her ground. I was thinking Poochyena went too far, but I didn't want to call him back just yet.
"Numel, buck up and use Magnitude!"
"Poochyena, watch out!"
Numel lifted his front legs up high, and sent them crashing back down. The impact, coupled with the energy he had just stored, shook the very foundation of the gym, even cracking some of the wooden floorboards underneath Numel's feet. Poochyena, however, had evaded the attack completely by leaping into the air. Now at Numel's side, he once again latched onto Numel's neck, biting down hard without my say so.
"That's not fair! Your Pokemon is out of control!" This time, Flannery didn't bother with the rules, and ran out onto the arena. The thing about gym leaders was they could defend their own fouls with the League, but the challengers couldn't. I had a mind to call Flannery out on her action, but I knew she did it only to help Numel. She went to pry Poochyena off Numel, but the black dog let go and tried to bite her instead!
"Poochyena, stop that!" I ran out after the Pokemon, aiming his Pokeball to force him back in. Before I could get a clear shot, Poochyena turned around and delivered a powerful kick towards Numel, sending the small Pokemon flying across the arena. Just as the beam of light made contact with Poochyena, his body started to glow, but he was back inside the Pokeball before anything else happened. I couldn't be sure without releasing him again, but I think he was about to evolve at that instant.
Flannery ran after her Numel, who was badly injured, especially around his neck. Naturally eager to help, I ran up to her side with a potion in hand, feeling more than a little responsible for what had just happened. She denied the item, however, and pulled out a different form of medication from her pocket: some of the root I had bought earlier! She forced it down Numel's throat, against the Pokemon's desire to eat it. However, within seconds, Numel's wounds started to recover, and he was looking healthier on the spot!
"I'll have Nurse Joy pick him up pronto, but at least with that he'll be okay until she gets here," Flannery said, returning Numel to his Pokeball.
"I'm sorry, I didn't expect Poochyena to attack like that."
"No, it's okay, no permanent harm done," she said with a smile. "We should get back to our battle."
"Um, okay," I said, a bit confused. Her Pokemon was nearly mauled to death, and she wants to continue battling? I mean, Numel was in better shape after eating the root, but I figured she'd cancel the match to rush him to the Pokemon Center. Once we were both back in our respective spots, Flannery released her final Pokemon, a large, red turtle. Before reaching for Wingull, I scanned the critter from afar.
"Torkoal, the Coal Pokemon. It burns coal inside its shell for energy. It blows out black soot if it is endangered." More soot, just what I wanted. Once Wingull was out on the field, Flannery got right to issuing commands.
"Torkoal, start with Attract!"
"Wingull, don't fall for it! Use Water Gun!"
Torkoal tried to lock eyes with Wingull, and it actually did. However, Wingull didn't become infatuated with the turtle Pokemon, leading me to realize Wingull was actually a girl! Unaffected by her attack, Wingull swooped in on Torkoal, dropping a small glob of water right into the hole on the shell. For such a small attack, the Torkoal seemed to be in extreme pain, as a blast of steam erupted from that same hole just a moment later.
"Torkoal, use Flamethrower!"
"Wingull, Water Gun again!"
Both Pokemon opened wide, one blasting flames, the other water. The point where both met turned into a misty haze neither of us could see through, but I noticed Torkoal's flames were steadily beating Wingull's water gun. After a few more tense seconds, the flames overpowered Wingull, and she was forced to the ground by the fiery attack. Being relatively inexperienced in battle, Wingull was out in a single attack. I put her back in her Pokeball, now left with only one choice to win this match.
"Do you give up, Star? You're out of Pokemon to use!" That deep, fake voice of her's was back. Ignoring it, I reached for Poochyena's Pokeball. It was all up to him. I released the Pokemon, but it wasn't the same one I had returned earlier. This Pokemon was larger, and far more menacing. I scanned him with my Pokedex on the spot.
"Mightyena, the Bite Pokemon. It will always obey the commands of a skilled trainer. Its behavior arises from its living in packs in ancient times."
"I'd say you were cheating, but there's no rules against a Pokemon evolving mid-battle. Well, let's get right to it! Torkoal, Heat Wave!"
"Mightyena, use Bite!"
Instead, Mightyena just plopped down on the ground, intent on defying my command. Though this did anger me slightly, I was more concerned for his well-being. Torkoal leaned forward slightly, releasing an expansive blast of heated air towards Mightyena. Once the cloud hit him, Mightyena went on the offensive by himself. Howling loudly to the point where it echoed in the gym, Mightyena rushed Torkoal through the heat wave, slamming into the shelled critter at full pelt. Torkoal was sent crashing backwards, almost taking Flannery with her.
"Hey! Control your Pokemon!"
"Mightyena, get back here!" I screamed, but my own Pokemon wasn't going to listen to me anytime soon. Mightyena instead rushed Torkoal again, jumping onto the turtle's back and biting down on its neck. I didn't want a repeat of the incident earlier, so I ran out to force him back into his Pokeball. Vulpix ran alongside me, ready to subdue her own ally if it came to it.
"Mightyena, return!" I aimed the beam of light at him, but he narrowly dodged it. Landing almost in front of me, Mightyena was about to bite even me, when Vulpix blasted the Pokemon with a Flamethrower attack. Caught off guard completely, Mightyena was badly burned by Vulpix's attack. Now down on the ground, I forced him into his Pokeball, though even then he tried to fight his way out.
"Is your Torkoal alright?"
"Yeah, she'll be okay, once I take her to the center. You should really do something about that Pokemon, you know."
"I'm sorry, I didn't think he'd be so out of control. To be honest I hadn't used him since I caught him. If you think the battle wasn't fair, I'd gladly try again, with different Pokemon this time!" I was certain Flannery would like a rematch, just because this battle wasn't exactly orderly.
"You kidding? I wish all my battles were like this!" She screamed out, which caught me by surprise.
"I'm new to this, you know? But I had seen my grandpa battle before. His battles were all so boring, so when I was asked to take over, I didn't exactly like the idea, you know?"
"Does that explain your weird voice?" I asked her. She laughed a bit before answering.
"Oh that! I just wanted to see what I sounded like if I acted like my grandpa. You know, I didn't like it myself," Flannery said, scratching her head. I smiled at her, when I realized she hadn't awarded me the badge yet.
"So, did I win the badge?"
"Oh! Oh yeah, almost forgot!" She dug into her pants' pocket, pulling out a small red badge in the shape of a wisp of flame.
"Congratulations, Star! You've earned this Heatbadge, lame name and all!"
~o~
"Want some ice cream, Star? It's a local flavor," Flannery said, offering me the cold, sweet treat. I took it from her, and got right to tasting it. It was a hard to place; it had no distinct flavor, was sweet, but at times salty.
"It's pretty good, what is it?"
"Sea-salt, though don't ask if that's what they actually make it with. Wouldn't want to ruin the flavor!"
We were sitting outside the Pokemon Center, both our Pokemon inside getting treated by Nurse Joy. Since there weren't any other trainers there to challenge her, Flannery was killing some time hanging out with me. She confessed it was a boring job, being a gym leader, having to sit in the gym until some trainer came looking only to fight. Couldn't make very many friends that way.
"If I had known," she said, taking one more bite from the ice cream in her hands, "I'd never have taken the job!"
"Yeah, you've said that already. Twice," I responded, smiling. Flannery blushed a little and tried to laugh it off.
"Guess I'm already out of things to say, huh? How about you, Star? Where're you off to from here?"
"South, to Mauville City next," I said, suddenly remembering one of the reasons I didn't visit the city first. "I'm hoping to run into a friend there."
"Oh? Planned a meet there, did ya?"
"Not really. We kinda went our separate ways after we arrived in Slateport City, and then she just vanished on the road. I found her Pokemon on the road, and I reported it to the police, but they haven't found anything yet." My heart started to race a bit, thoughts of terrible things happening to Yunie filling my mind.
"Aww, buck up! I'm sure she's doing just peachy! You know what they say, no news is good news, and all that jazz!"
"Yeah, I'm sure you're right," I said, trying my best to lighten the mood again. "Flannery, has the lift to Mt Chimney been broken for long?"
"Broken? That thing's never broken in the history of forever! Trust me, I've lived in this town since I was born, and that thing has never broken not once!"
"Really? Then why did the woman at the lift say I couldn't get on yesterday?" This time, Flannery's interest was actually piqued.
"Woman? The lift is self-operated, unless someone from town goes there to check up on it." Flannery took one final bite out of her ice cream and threw the rest on the ground like trash. "Star, grab your Pokemon. We're going to Mt Chimney!"
"Um, shouldn't you throw that in a trashcan or something?" I said, pointing at the half-finished treat melting on the ground.
"No time for that! A gym leader's duty is to look after the town! Let's move!"
~o~
"My bike is still at the Pokemon Center," I said, carefully stepping around the rocks on the road. "Is there anyone in Lavaridge that can fix it?"
"You're thinking about your bike now? We're about to infiltrate what could be a Team Aqua or Magma stronghold! Get with the program, Star!"
Flannery had roped me into this little crusade of hers, though I wasn't against the idea entirely. If one of those Teams really was on the mountain, they couldn't be up to any good. What seemed to be on my mind more was the possibility that Giovanni could be there as well. He had vanished after the events in Ecruteak City, so it certainly wasn't impossible. Flannery's craze in getting on the road as quickly as possible also forced me to bring along Mightyena, who continued to rebel against his prison in the Pokeball. I was starting to fear he would be a Pokemon I just wouldn't be able to tame.
"Okay, I'll go in first," she said, once we were at the building. "Since I'm the gym leader, they'll have to answer me! If you hear trouble, get right in to help, okay?"
I nodded, and watched her stroll into the building without a care in the world. I peeked from the edge of the glass door, watching as Flannery met with the same woman from yesterday. Some words were exchanged between the two, peaceful at first. Then Flannery started to raise her voice, and the woman looked a bit panicked. Couldn't blame her, Flannery looked like the kind of girl that would erupt if she knew she was being jerked around. Finally, it reached critical, and Flannery let out a shrill scream at the woman that sent her running onto one of the lifts. I rushed through the door, Vulpix close behind.
"Star! Hurry up! It's Team Magma! Get on the lift!"
Without saying a word, I jumped into the next availble chair, and Flannery squeezed in next to me. Flipping a switch, two pairs of pedals emerged from under the seat. Flannery got right to pedaling, which made the lift move up the rope slowly.
"What are you waiting for? Pedal!" She screamed at me. I put my feet to the pedals and started pushing. The lift gained some speed, but it wasn't moving particularly fast.
"I thought this thing was automatic!"
"It is, but they've cut the power to keep us from reaching them. Fortunately, each chair has these babies in case of emergencies. Less talk, more pedal!"
After an exhausting but scenic rise, we arrived at the summit of Mt Chimney. As Flannery said, there were at least a dozen Team Magma grunts surrounding the chairlift, Pokemon at the ready. Knowing that Vulpix would be taken from me if they saw her, I forced her to stay on the chairlift and out of sight.
"Step off the chair, slowly, hands up!" One of the grunts commanded, Poochyena barking alongside him. Flannery and I followed orders, but we didn't step far from the chairlift. She was far angrier than she was scared, I might add.
"I'm Flannery, the Lavardige City Gym Leader! I demand to speak with whoever's in charge, now!" The grunts were left a bit perplexed at her demands, but they didn't have to do much thinking on their own. As if on cue, the person in charge stepped forward, draped in a black and red suit.
"I'm Maxie, head of Team Magma. I see you're the new gym leader, come to interfere in my plans?" He spoke calmly, as if unfazed by our presence. He reminded me of Giovanni.
"Well, you can thank my good pal Star for that! She told me something was up, and I came to investigate!" My eyes shot open. What's more, Maxie's cool demeanor vanished at the mention of my name.
"Star? It can't be!" He looked over at me, despite my attempt to look away. From the corner of my eye I saw him produce a picture from his pocket. "It is you! Giovanni instructed us to dispose of you if you dared to meddle in our plans. Kill her!"
The grunts began their approach, only to be forced back by a wall of fire. Vulpix had leapt out from the chair, breathing flames all around us. Taking advantage of the situation, both of us released a couple other Pokemon, hoping to level the playing field. Flannery's Torkoal and Slugma took her side, while I released Vaporeon and Wingull to fight with Vulpix.
Now, as you could imagine, recalling how this battle played out is like trying to remember every face at a fair. With so many Pokemon out, trainers shouting commands into the air, I can't say I remember what happened. All I do remember is after most of the grunts were pushed back, Vaporeon was badly hurt, Wingull was out completely, and even Vulpix was feeling weak. Flannery's Slugma was still going strong, though Torkoal had suffered quite a bit safeguarding my own Pokemon. It was at this point that Maxie stepped forward.
"Idiot grunts. Can't rely on them to do anything right, can you? Now, you'll face me," he said coldly, releasing a Pokemon before us. It was a large red Pokemon, with two mounds on its back, shaped oddly enough like volcanos.
"Camerupt, Flamethrower."
"Slugma, jump in front of him!" Flannery ordered.
The large Pokemon opened its mouth wide, releasing a fiery attack not even Vulpix could hope to achieve. Fortunately, Slugma got in the way just in time, and was taking the attack without any consequence. I was about to order Vaporeon to help out, when the unspeakable happened. After trying so hard, Mightyena managed to break free from his Pokeball. His eyes were set on me.
"Slugma, move, NOW!"
Following Flannery's orders without delay, Slugma inched to the right, allowing the last few wisps of flame to strike Mightyena. The attack was enough to draw the raging Pokemon's attention, which was now fixated on Maxie's Camerupt. Mightyena leapt onto the Pokemon, instantly clawing and biting at Camerupt's neck.
"Camerupt, use Lava Plume!" Maxie screamed out, desperate to ward off Mightyena's assault.
"Star, get down!" Flannery jumped on top of me, forcing me to the ground. Vaporeon and Vulpix jumped behind us as well, just in time to avoid what was about to happen.
Camerupt's two humps erupted, blasting Mightyena high into the air, and showering the entire area around the Pokemon in superheated flames. What's worse, the mountain itself began to shake. The grunts that had been beaten back began to panic, and were running in every direction. Something big was happening, but the loud noise made it hard to make out what anyone was saying. I looked out from under Flannery, seeing something huge emerge from within the mountain. It was a Pokemon, alright, drenched in searing hot lava, but brushing it off as if it were water. The pattern all over its body began to glow, lighting the Pokemon up in the sudden darkness that fell over the mountain.
"No! Groudon is escaping! You fools! Stop him!" Maxie cried out, ordering his Camerupt to try and halt the massive Pokemon's advance. Groudon, if it was called that, simply ignored the Pokemon's attacks, and made its way down the mountain. The trail of molten lava it left in its wake prevented Maxie from following.
~o~
"Thank you for your help," said the police officer, as he made a few final notes on his notepad. The mountain had quieted down now, and the police from Mauville had arrived to apprehend whichever members of Team Magma were still lurking about.
In the wake of the rise of Groudon, Maxie had somehow escaped. Neither I nor Flannery had seen him escape, each of us too scared to look when it sounded like the mountain would actually erupt. Fortunately, it turned out only to be Groudon stomping on the side of the mountain as it departed. Closer to home, Mightyena had disappeared in the madness as well.
"He's no where to be found, Star. You think he might've run away?" Flannery gave me a towel, though it wouldn't do much in the way of cleaning our dirty faces.
"Maybe. And maybe it was for the best, too," I said, wiping the sweat from my forehead. "He was just too out of control, if I had tried to keep him, this would've happened eventually. At least here, he helped us out of a tight spot, thanks to you."
"Just thinking on my toes, is all. That Maxie guy got away though. Shame, I was hoping to pummel him myself a bit!" I didn't tell Flannery, but I had an idea of where Maxie might've run off to.
"Can we go back to town? I'm beat, and I want to take a bath, too."
"Sure thing! I'll rent us out a hot spring! Come on, I think the police got the lift working again."
Before I followed Flannery to the chairlift, I took one last look at the summit of Mt Chimney. If there was one thing I was kicking myself over, was not scanning that giant Pokemon when I had the chance. At least I didn't have to worry about the other thing, which was looking out to the rest of Hoenn.
In the light of the sunset, all the trees of Hoenn looked to be on fire. I said a silent prayer that such an event never come to pass.